A small airfield in Snowdonia is at the forefront of testing and developing unmanned drone aircraft (UAVs) for civilian use.

Tackling environmental issues such as coastal flooding and erosion and fisheries protection duties are just some of the tasks being undertaken as part of Project Meredith at Llanbedr airfield near Harlech.

The initiative, led by defence technology firm Qinetiq, is the first major UAV test and evaluation project at the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, formerly RAF Llanbedr.

Mr Howitt said: “Drone technology is still evolving and there is still no regulatory framework. We can’t fly wherever, whenever and wherever we want and can’t go beyond visual line of sight at present and that needs to be worked on.

“The government is keen the UK is at the forefront of drone technology.

“Llanbedr has a long history of being used for testing and its location is ideal. The area has mountains and valleys, a coastline and the open sea nearby.

“The flying activity we propose here is relatively low volume but high value.”

Mr Howitt added when development has been completed and drones are in more widespread use there would still be a need for a testing centre and Llanbedr would still be required.

“The alternative sites are in Canada, Australia and the USA and there is a high cost associated with getting people and equipment there,” he said.

Small Slovenian-built drones, developed by a Swedish company, are currently in use at Llanbedr.

In one test a drone is programmed to fly a four kilometre flight pattern and take detailed photographs of the topography.

Mr Howitt added: “Around 60% of the Welsh population live in coastal areas, with an estimated 85,000 properties at risk from tidal flooding. Around 2,000 properties will be at risk from coastal erosion over the next 100 years if there is no active management.

“This exercise examines the possibility of providing an early warning system for these events, enabling better preparedness and timelier response.

“The drone can cover the area in about 40 minutes. That’s far quicker than a quadcopter and then the photographs can be downloaded and studied and coastal features identified and possible weak spots identified,” he said.

In the fisheries protection test the drone seeks to locate and identify participating fishing vessels and determine their intent.

“This will assess the potential for UAVs to support Natural Resources Wales in its commitment to doubling sustainable growth of aquaculture and achieving Good Environmental Status for its territorial waters by 2020,” Mr Howitt added.